Fogarty wins Grand-Am pole at IndyJon Fogarty, the all-time Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series leader in pole positions, scored his third pole of the season and will lead the field to the green flag in the inaugural Brickyard Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Fogarty padded his career Grand-Am pole tally to 22 with a fast lap at 107.680 mph (1 minute, 23.035 seconds). on the 2.534-mile Brickyard road course. He will share the driving with Alex Gurney in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette DP in the three-hour main event, scheduled for 4 p.m. ET today.

Max Chilton claimed his and Carlin’s first ever GP2 pole position in the closing seconds of a dramatic wet/dry qualifying at the Hungaroring, stealing the top spot as the flag dropped to end the session just ahead of James Calado, Davide Valsecchi and Jolyon Palmer.

Chilton's lap of 1:28.980 snatched the top spot from his countryman by just 0.023 in a session that officially started on a wet track due to running water on turn 11 following a heavy storm ahead of this afternoon's session, with many of the top runners waiting until the sun came out and the track dried enough for them to run on the super soft tire compound.

Pedrosa fastest in morning practice at Laguna SecaIt was a good start for Dani Pedrosa and the Repsol Honda Team in Laguna Seca. Both riders had their first outing on the challenging American track also taking the opportunity to try some new parts in this morning's session.

Pedrosa found pace very quickly and after two runs with his 'standard' bike, he swapped to the new one he first tried in the Mugello test, with new engine and new chassis, to set the fastest time (1'21.424), less than 1 tenth off the circuit record (1'21.376, Casey Stoner 2010). Casey also did his last run with the new engine mounted on his 'standard' chassis, which he feels more familiar with, and also improved his lap time to finish third with a fastest lap of 1'21.829, 4 tenths off his teammate.

It still stings Paul Tracy that he didn’t get to say a proper goodbye to his IndyCar fans in Toronto and Edmonton this season.

But in an exclusive interview with the Toronto Sun Thursday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, The Thrill from West Hill said he hopes to be back home to race next season — but in the Rolex Grand-Am sports car series.

Tracy said he has heard that there is a solid chance that the revamped Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, just east of Toronto, could land a Grand-Am race in 2013 and if it does, he wants to be there.

PURE suspends engine building for 2014PURE, the engine company set up by Craig Pollock and which is planning to join Formula 1 in 2014, will be halting its activities as of the start of August. This follows the loss of a prime investor, as revealed to GPUpdate.net last month.

When speaking with GPUpdate.net in June, CEO Pollock confirmed that the company was finalizing its move to the former Toyota F1 facility in Cologne but that the loss of the stakeholder had delayed its test bench work until September.

“We had quite an advance but then an investor pulled out, which we had to replace and that held us back by probably four to six weeks,” the former BAR Team Principal explained. “The case is that we should now be on the test bench by the beginning of September, or maybe the end of August.

Talking torque maps with Renault engine guru Rob WhiteIn the aftermath of the Red Bull engine mapping controversy that emerged after qualifying in Hockenheim, the issues has been buzzing around the Hungaroring paddock relentlessly, here Renault Sport F1 deputy managing director, Rob White, gives the inside scoop on engine mapping and his take on the headline grabbing developments on the matter.

What is a driver torque map?Rob White: The driver torque map represents the torque requested by the driver as a function of engine speed and accelerator pedal position.

The prototype cockpit canopy tested by Tony Schumacher, Spencer Massey, and Antron Brown in the U.S. ARMY dragster at Palm Beach International Raceway earlier this year. Photo courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

The NHRA Technical Department has granted conceptual approval of a prototype cockpit canopy submitted by Aerodine Composites Group (Aerodine), which was originally designed by Don Schumacher Racing (DSR).

The initial prototype component has been reviewed by the NHRA Technical Department and the NHRA Safety Safari presented by AAA. In addition, NHRA contracted Purdue University Center for Systems Integrity (PCSI) to perform an aerodynamic competitive analysis assessment. Based on the assessment from all three entities, several issues and modifications will need to be resolved prior to Aerodine Composites Group submitting the final production component package.

Ducati Extends Contract With HaydenOn the occasion of the United States Grand Prix, the home race for two-time Laguna Seca MotoGP winner Nicky Hayden, Ducati announces a contract extension with the American that will keep him with the Ducati Team next season.

Hayden, who turns 31 Monday, is currently in his 10th season in the MotoGP series and his fourth with the Ducati Team.

During that time, he has become extremely popular with fans and Ducatisti all over the world, thanks to his reliably positive outlook, his passion, and his determination. He currently sits eighth in the championship standings and is working hard on the development of the Desmosedici GP12, employing his typical effort and enthusiasm.

Knockout qualifying returns to Firestone Indy Lights at GP3RFor the second consecutive season, the starting field for the Firestone Indy Lights race at the Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres will be decided using a knockout qualifying system similar to the one used by the IZOD IndyCar Series.

INDYCAR, sanctioning body for the Firestone Indy Lights, announced July 27 that the field for the street race in Trois Rivieres, Quebec would be set using a two-stage qualifying procedure.

The first round of qualifying on Aug. 4 will be a 30-minute session open to all cars with the field being ranked by lap time at the end of the session. The top-six cars will move on to the second round, while the remaining cars will be ranked by their standing in the session.

Helio Castroneves, who won "Dancing with the Stars" with professional partner Julianne Hough in November 2007, will be among the contestants returning for an all-star season of the ballroom dancing competition for the Mirror Ball trophy.

The cast for the upcoming "Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars" was announced July 27 during the "Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars" presentation at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, and Castroneves was among the former winners interviewed live on "Good Afternoon America" on ABC.

The Season 15 premiere on ABC is scheduled for 8 p.m. (ET) Sept. 24 - nine days following the IZOD IndyCar Series season finale at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. The Team Penske driver is second to front-runner Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport in the series championship standings entering the final four races of the season. The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio is up next Aug. 3-5.

Kral leads the way in HungaryJosef Kral has got his weekend underway in the best way possible, by setting the pace with a lap of 1:29.573 in this morning's free practice session at the Hungaroring while his rivals pitted for fresh tires, to pip Fabio Leimer and James Calado for the top spot.

With conditions hot and sunny for the first time in a few events, the teams took little time in sending their drivers out to make the most of the tight, technical circuit. With most drivers running wide somewhere as they pushed to find the limits, Lotus GP teammates Esteban Gutiérrez and Calado set the early running.

Ecclestone returns to F1 paddock(GMM) After skipping last weekend's German grand prix, Bernie Ecclestone was back in the formula one paddock on Friday.

German news agency SID said F1's 81-year-old chief executive, who earlier denied he skipped Hockenheim for fear of arrest by German police, was seen in the Hungaroring paddock in Budapest early on Friday.

The agency said the access road to the twisty Hungarian grand prix venue has been renamed 'Bernie Avenue', in tribute to the diminutive Briton who took his sport behind the Iron Curtain in the mid-80s.

Hungary GP: McLarens top opening practiceLewis Hamilton led Jenson Button in a McLaren one-two in opening practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring.

The McLarens were just over half a second clear of Fernando Alonso's Ferrari in third and the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher in fourth and fifth, ahead of the second Ferrari of Felipe Massa.

Kimi Raikkonen was seventh for Lotus, followed by teammate Romain Grosjean.

NASCAR will keep drug test details privateNASCAR is sticking to its policy of not disclosing the specific substances that cause positive drug tests. Series President Mike Helton said Thursday that even though the rulebook allows series officials to disclose which drugs a competitor has tested positive for, he does not intend to stray from the long-standing policy of keeping those results private. Helton cited federal privacy laws as one reason the series has not publicly said what caused A.J. Allmendinger's positive test. NASCAR has not provided details of the test and has said only that the two urine samples tested positive for the same substance.

No driver changes planned for EGREarnhardt Ganassi Racing owner Chip Ganassi has a lot of new people and a lot of new systems he put in place prior to this season, understanding great change was needed. He expects to struggle to some degree as most organizations do during the transition stages. He is hopeful because he sees progress within that few of us can see on the surface. "Are we where we want to be in the points? No," Ganassi says. "Are we where we want to be performance-wise? No. Are we happy with the people we have and direction we're going? Yes." EGR is in better shape than a lot of organizations on things that count. It is solid with sponsor Target for #42-Juan Pablo Montoya, and optimistic McDonald's and Bass Pro Shop will be back with #1-Jamie McMurray. EGR isn't looking to make driver changes, with Montoya already signed and McMurray close to a new deal. "We're in the middle of a process now," Ganassi says. "That process is going very well. While all things are not apparent to the eye on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, back at headquarters in Charlotte as a NASCAR team everybody is very excited about where things are going." Ganassi is asked: Can you expand on those things? "No," he says. More at ESPN.com

Finland’s Aaro Vainio started his weekend in the best possible style by topping the timesheets for practice with a lap time of 1.37.396 which was nearly half a second faster than Antonio Felix Da Costa and Conor Daly.

Following last weekend’s race weekend in Hockenheim, the GP3 Series circus moves swiftly to Budapest in Hungary for Round 6. The Hungaroring area is known for its hot and humid climate and today was no exception with the free practice getting underway in high temperatures of 30 degrees.

Ocean Racing Technology’s Robert Cregan and Carmen Jorda were first out on the circuit which is famous for its twisty turns. In the first ten minutes of the session, Kevin Ceccon was leading the way ahead of Alice Powell. On his first lap, MW Arden’s Mitch Evans shot to P1 after 15 minutes had been completed with teammate Matias Laine and Lotus GP’s Daniel Abt close in pursuit.

The brilliance of Alonso is his ability to tell the engineers what design changes are needed on the car to make it fast. This year's Ferrari started out as a slug and Alonso made it into a winner. He made Hamilton look good. Since leaving McLaren the team has struggled

New IndyCar already faster than last year at M-OTeam Rahal Lanigan Racing Mid-Ohio testing report: “It was a good test day despite being cut short by the weather," said Takuma Sato. "We were able to check a number of things like ratios, ride heights and the other initial things you check in the first practice session of a race weekend so it was nice to get it done this morning. Then we started to work a little on the setup which was interesting. Actually it was quite good fun making the changes; you can feel the changes improving the car and know you are collecting very valuable data so it was a productive day. It’s just a shame that it was cut short because there was quite a lot of things left that we wanted to get done. The team will go back to the shop and analyze the good data from today and come back well-prepared for race weekend.

Chevy to pace Indy races this weekendChevrolet will pace three races during the inaugural Kroger Super Weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

2013 60th Anniversary Corvette Z06 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

2013 Camaro SS in the NASCAR Nationwide Series

2013 Camaro ZL1 in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series

“Chevrolet is proud and honored to be a part of this very special weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Jeff Chew, Marketing Manager for Chevy Racing. “Chevrolet has had the distinct privilege to pace every NASCAR race held at the Brickyard since the inception of the event in 1994. What is especially unique about the Kroger Super Weekend is the fact that we are not unveiling one pace car, but a trio of Chevrolet's that will lead the field to the green flag for the Grand-Am Rolex and Continental Tire Series, the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events."

NASCAR TV Exposure at Mid-YearNo driver has been mentioned more often on television, interviewed more frequently, or collected more exposure value for their sponsors than Jimmie Johnson during the first half of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

According to research conducted by Joyce Julius & Associates, Inc. — which has monitored every NASCAR race telecast over the last 28 seasons — Johnson's sponsors as a group appeared for 13 hours, 10 minutes, 46 seconds (13:10:46) during live and replayed telecasts of the season's first 18 points races. When also factoring in verbal mentions (82) of his sponsors, $45.3 million of in-broadcast exposure value was amassed by the 43 brands monitored in association with Johnson.

In 2004, NASCAR launched its Drive for Diversity program in an effort to develop minorities and women in the sport. While a few program graduates have enjoyed some success, in its nine years of existence, Drive for Diversity has yet to have any program driver participate in a Sprint Cup race. Steve Delsohn examines NASCAR’s efforts to diversify, as well as some of the obstacles minority drivers face in trying to break into the upper echelons of auto racing.

Michael Waltrip to make special deliver to fire victimsUPDATE Johnson Controls just committed to match the $25,000. They are also sponsoring BMR's #24 NAPA Batteries car in the race with the Intrepid Wounded Warrior on the car to support our troops.

07/26/12

Michael Waltrip

Despite being very busy overseeing his three NASCAR Sprint Cup teams at Indianapolis on Sunday, Michael Waltrip will be spending Friday and Saturday night in Denver-Colorado for a very special reason. He's coming to the Colorado National Speedway to help the American Red Cross in their effort to raise funds to assist victims of the wild fires that recently plagued the state.

Waltrip and his friends from NAPA Auto Parts will be making a special delivery for this special cause Saturday night. During pre race ceremonies, before the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West event, Waltrip will present the American Red Cross with a check for $25,000 from the NAPA Knows How To Care program. An additional check will also be presented from the proceeds raised by online, local NAPA store efforts and at track fundraising.

Allmendinger case - someone is lyingEither David Higdon, NASCAR Communications, or Tara Ragan, VP of Walldinger Racing, are not being truthful with the media. As you can see from NASCAR Race Hub on SPEED, below in direct quotes (in red) from Higdon saying that Allmendinger has been informed what the drug in question was and Ragan saying they do not yet know.

David Higdon, NASCAR Director of Integrated Marketing Communications

Danielle Trotta: Without revealing the specific stimulant that A.J. tested positive for, can you tell us if you, NASCAR, know what that specific stimulant is, and if you’ve told A.J. Allmendinger and his team that information.

Busch led both sessions on the 2.5-mile oval, posting a top overall speed of 175.836 mph in the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota during the final 90-minute practice.

"It felt really good," Busch said. "The car's fast, obviously. It's run well all day. We've just been trying to work on it to make it better in the long run. You've got to be snug here to be fast because the place is so flat. But, overall, it feels stable. Hopefully it will stay with us all day Saturday."

Wilson and Montagny latest to join Surfers fieldJustin Wilson and Franck Montagny have become the latest international drivers to sign up for November's V8 Supercar event at Surfers Paradise.

"I'm really looking forward to driving alongside Greg Murphy," said Wilson. "I know he's fast and has a never give up attitude. Just from watching on TV you know he's getting everything possible from the car.

"It will be a tough challenge driving a V8 for the first time and I know the level of talent already racing in the series is extremely high, so my goals are to listen to Greg and the team and help them get the best finish possible."

James Davison to make Indy Grand-Am startAustralian James Davison has scored a one-off drive with Corvette team Mike Baughman Racing for this Friday’s Grand-Am Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The third-generation driver will team with 22-year-old Indy Lights Series front-runner Sebastian Saavedra for the Brickyard Grand Prix.

Davison, who has had a lean racing schedule since finishing second in the 2009 Indy Lights season, says he’s looking forward to teaming with the Colombian.

Chevrolet will have a new entry in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2013: Camaro, the top- selling sports car in America, will make its series debut next February at Daytona International Speedway.

“Chevrolet is proud to bring the Camaro to the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2013,” said Jim Campbell, vice president, Chevrolet Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “The Camaro Nationwide race car incorporates many of the distinctive styling elements of the production Camaro, including the unique power-bulge hood and deep recessed grille. In addition, the design incorporates the distinctive halo light rings and dual-port grille appearances, and the gold bowtie.”

Red Bull drivers play down rule tweak effect(GMM) Red Bull's drivers on Thursday played down the impact of the 'engine mapping' rule clarification.

Following the 'legal traction control' and exhaust engine blowing controversy at Hockenheim, the team has for Hungary been forced to revert to a conventional software setting as the result of the FIA rules tweak.

Co-host Danielle Trotta and NASCAR analysts Bob Dillner, Matt Clark and Larry McReynolds all took part in tonight’s show. David Higdon, NASCAR Director of Integrated Marketing Communications; Tara Ragan, Vice President of Walldinger Racing and Tim Cindric, Penske Racing President all shared their thoughts on the situation.

VW Passat voted most appealingVolkswagen of America, Inc. today announces that the Passat has been awarded the most appealing midsize car in a tie in the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout (APEAL) Study. Volkswagen also received high marks for the GTI (second in the Compact Sporty Car class); Tiguan (second in Compact Crossover SUV); Touareg (second in Midsize Premium Crossover SUV); and Golf (second in Compact Car). The Beetle and the Jetta placed fourth and tied for fifth respectively in the Compact Car class, giving VW three cars in the top five in this highly competitive segment.

Newton-John returns to Fan Force United at BaltimoreAfter qualifying eighth in his first Firestone Indy Lights race at the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Emerson Newton-John will return to Fan Force United at Baltimore in September.

Newton-John was caught up in an accident on lap 5 with several other cars and didn't get to show the potential in the race had shown in practice and qualifying.

"Indy was definitely an emotional deal for me," he said. "To be back in a car after so long and to be back at Indy of all places was incredible, but to only make it four laps due to being caught out in someone else's mistake, was a massive blow.

Charlotte, NC (July 25, 2012) “While we await further information from testing to determine the cause, we have notified NASCAR that AJ will participate in the Road to Recovery Program starting immediately. As we have stated earlier, we respect NASCAR's drug testing policies. They are first and foremost in place to protect drivers and AJ being among those. We fully support the program, and as more details become available, we will share them. We would like to personally thank Mr. Helton and John Bobo for helping worked through this in an expeditious manner.”

FIA closes Red Bull 'engine maps' loophole(GMM) As expected, the FIA on Wednesday issued a rule clarification in the wake of the Red Bull 'engine maps' controversy at Hockenheim.

The governing body's technical boss Jo Bauer shocked the paddock last Sunday morning by asking the stewards to look into what Red Bull is doing, amid suggestions the team had gone too far with a complex form of legal traction control and engine exhaust blowing.

"None of us really know what it is that antagonized the FIA so much to provoke Jo Bauer to send the note that he did on Sunday morning," McLaren's managing director Jonathan Neale told reporters on Wednesday.

Tony Stewart hopes to ride Superstar Danica Patrick and her sponsor GoDaddy right into the Sprint Cup Series

Stewart-Haas Racing is still working toward fielding three Sprint Cup teams in 2013 with Ryan Newman driving one of those cars, despite losing the U.S. Army sponsorship for next year, team co-owner Tony Stewart said Tuesday.

The U.S. Army announced two weeks ago that it would no longer sponsor a NASCAR race team. It had spent $8.4 million on its 2012 program with Stewart-Haas, which included 12 races for Newman as well as what it spent for at-track displays and other racing-related advertising.

Newman does not have a contract for 2013, and SHR already plans to add to Danica Patrick to its lineup full time. Patrick has sponsorship from GoDaddy.com.

What is IndyCar hiding?The Edmonton Indy race remains popular with the public, was an artistic success Sunday, start to finish, and will return in 2013, the final year of its three-year contract with the City of Edmonton and the IZOD IndyCar Series.

But Octane Motorsports Events, the Montreal-based promoter, is seeking even more traction with the fans and especially the Edmonton corporate community to ensure the long-term survival of the event here.

“This is a major sporting event of international caliber, coming to Edmonton once a year, and not too many cities have the privilege to host an IZOD IndyCar Series race,” Francois Dumontier, the Octane CEO, said in a news release Sunday. “To build a strong event, maintain the global visibility and the economic fallout for the host city, and ensure its continuity, the attendance is key, as is the business community joining as sponsors or corporate hospitality customers.”

Kroger Super Weekend At The Brickyard NotebookNASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series drivers will sign autographs during sessions Friday, July 27 and Saturday, July 28 during the Kroger Super Weekend at the Brickyard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Four separate autograph sessions will take place between 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, July 27 at Chalet No. 4 in the Pagoda Plaza during Chevy Day, with Nationwide Series drivers taking part in an autograph session from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday, July 28 in the East Chalet No. 2 in the Pagoda Plaza.

Executing their race strategy to the letter, Tomy Drissi and Bruno Junqueira drove the No. 9 RSR "The Watch" LMPC Oreca prototype to the top step of the podium at Canadian Tire Motorsport Part in Sunday's American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron, Mobil 1 Grand Prix of Mosport.

Drissi started the car from the third place on the grid. Short of a restart penalty, Tomy turned in a perfect stint, setting up Bruno for the long stretch to the finish.

Former F1 and ChampCar driver Robert Doornbos fears bankruptcy and says "Harry Muermans is trying to destroy me!"

His former sponsor Harry Muermans claimed bankruptcy against Doornbos' company at the Rotterdam court's, as his former protege refuses to pay a previously assigned claim of Muermans, a Dutch real estate tycoon, of 1 million Euro (US$ 1.2 million).

Yesterday the judge in Rotterdam had a closer look on the application. Doornbos himself wasn't present at the hearing. He sent a representative of Robert Doornbos Ltd. to the court. According to data from the Chamber of Commerce this person is at the helm of the company since February this year, which is in a poor financial condition. The last filed financial statements for 2010 says the company has debts of almost 190,000 euro.

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